Agastheeswarar Swamy Temple

The Agastheeswarar Temple is a holy Siva temple also famous as Thondavada Agastheswara Swamy Temple, or Mukkoti Temple. It is located where the three rivers, Swarnamukhi, Bhima, and Kalyani, meet in Chandragiri Mandal, close to the temple town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The Agastheeswarar Temple is one of the best places to visit in Tirupati.

The Agastheeswarar Temple is a must-visit during the Tirupati tour package. The Agasthya Mahamuni put the Shiva lingam in this temple, which is why it is famous as the Agastheeswara lingam. The east side of this temple is where you'll find most of the Parivara Devatas, such as Sri Ganesha and Sri Subramaniyam.

Agastheeswarar Temple History 

The walls of the Sri Agastheswara Swamy temple have few writings. It is not a foundation writing, even though it says it was written in the 31st year of Kulothunga Chola. At most, this writing can help us figure out that it was built between 1100 and 1100 AD. The plan shows this shrine square has a square sikhara and an Ekatala.

The texts say that Maharishi Agasthya passed through the Dandakaranya. He came here to pray to Lord Shiva. He told Hanuman to go to Kashi and get a Shiva Lingam for pooja. By the time Hanuman brought the Lingam, Agasthya had already made one out of the sand and worshipped it. Lord Hanuman was mad and tried to break the lingam. The lingam was about 60 feet tall.

Architecture 

The temple has a big wall around it and three openings. The Dwarapalakas at the door to the sanctum Sanctorum have lovely carvings. They are very tall and make the hall look more grand. There is a different shrine for Mother Parvati inside the second Prakara. It is famous as Vallimata.

There is a tank outside the compound for the ease of pilgrims visiting. The nearby village was famous as Tondavada by the kings of Chandragiri. It was a place where people could rest and horses could stay.